Spring has arrived! As you're considering some spring cleaning, is your fridge overdue for a clean out, too? What if this year, you focused on cleaning your health habits as well?
We tend to overindulge on comfort foods to get through gloomy cold winter days, but with spring looming in the near distance, there is no better time to swap winter habits for healthier choices!
Here are ten ways to spring clean your health habits this year:
- Detoxify your gut
When you have a healthy gut, your skin and mind will reap the benefits, too! However, poor eating habits during winter may have taken a toll on your gut health, and destroyed some good bacteria. If you experience consistent uncomfortable rumblings in your gut or you experience mood swings, your gut may have more harmful bacteria than healthy bacteria.
How can you spring clean your gut health?
You can give probiotics a try! Why? Because probiotics “can work to heal an unbalanced gut by increasing the number of healthy bacteria within your stomach, ultimately benefiting your brain, too.”
We love to rave about Lifestream Biopsyllium+Digestive Enzymes 200g powder. This natural digestive formula may be the perfect way to help spring clean your health habits!
- Clean out your fridge and pantry
Get rid of rotting foods, expired spices, comfort food, and start fresh! One source notes that spices, although flavourful and metabolism-boosting, can also “lose potency as they age.” Perhaps, this year, you can start noting when you buy a new spice, so you can keep track of its age!
When you are sorting through canned goods and old food, pay attention to what you have! Do you have a lot of instant noodle packages? Or chocolate bars? If you find that you have a lot of junk food, try to think of alternatives for those meals or snacks, or avoid packaged goods and cook from scratch - there are simple but healthy recipes out there!
- Add protein to your fitness regime
Has the new season propelled a need to move your body, build muscle, and get beach-body ready? If so, you may want to add an all-natural boost to your workout with organic protein powder!
The right protein powder can help to repair and build muscles after strenuous activity!
We have found a newfound love for hemp protein powder, which contains a plethora of benefits. Hemp protein powder contains all nine amino acids, has both soluble and insoluble fibre (making it super easy to digest), and it may help to combat sugar cravings.
If you want a powder with a nutty, vanilla taste and endless health benefits, you may want to check out Hemple Divine Vanilla Protein 500g. This organic powder can help to cleanse your gut and fill your protein needs!
- Try a new activity
Shake off that winter hibernation mode by trying out a new exercise! You can explore the outdoors via cycling, running, or join a football or ultimate frisbee league with a friend or two.
If you already exercise, you can try to add more intensity to your workouts. One source suggests adding four minutes of tabata intervals at the end of your workout. For example, Josh Rogers, a celebrity trainer, suggests doing plank jacks and burpees for your tabata routine, which means you do twenty seconds of plank jacks, then a ten-second rest, followed by twenty seconds of burpees, proceeded by another ten-second rest, and you repeat this eight times.
- Plant a garden
Health experts have found that gardening can help to lower your cortisol levels and tending to plants can also promote strength in your hands, which is essential when it comes to ageing.
When you have a garden, you can plant tomatoes, basil, green onions, parsley, potatoes, carrots, zucchini and the list of produce goes on! Imagine mixing your own vegetables into your meals?
- Take advantage of fresh produce
It’s the time of year where colourful fruits and vegetables begin to fill bins to the brim! However, this year, instead of going to the supermarket for all of your goods, try visiting a farmers market. There, you will find an array of fresh (and possibly organic) produce, and you can support your local growers!
One source claims that these veggies are in season in Britain:
Asparagus, carrots, cauliflowers, celeriac, cucumbers, curly kale, purple sprouting broccoli, savoy cabbage, sorrel, spinach, spring greens, spring onion, watercress
- Find savoury, healthy snack alternatives
A clean pantry, fresh produce, a new exercise regime, now what? Replace your unhealthy go-to snacks with wholesome go-to snacks!
It is important to consume fewer potato crisps and chocolate! For example, when you shove a handful of crisps into your mouth, it takes your body 15-30 minutes to absorb the salt, but your body craves salt so it asks for more and more until you feel too thirsty to eat another crisp. Your body may take six hours or days to work off the excess salt, which may spike your blood pressure.
So why bother to put your body through all that trouble when you can consume a savoury, but healthy snack, one that your body loves, such as Blue Dinosaur Bars!
These organic, paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free (and the list goes on) bars contain a blend of nourishing nutrients. With a variety of flavours from lamington to blueberry to dark cacao to mac’ lemon to apple pie, these bars will satisfy any palette!
- Remember to stay hydrated
It’s almost impossible to spring clean your health habits without staying hydrated! Why? Because drinking water helps to flush out your system and keep out toxins. With hotter weather and longer days just around the corner, it is essential to get into the habit of staying hydrated since your daily activities will likely increase.
- Boost your vitamin C intake
Winter may have deteriorated your muscles due to lack of movement, but as the weather warms, your body will likely move more. However, you may need vitamin C to help support your muscles!
One source claims that “vitamin C’s first and most important job is to help the body produce collagen and repair damaged tissue, which is just the thing for folks who find themselves a bit out of shape in the face of springtime sports and activities.” You may also need vitamin C to protect you from common allergies that often accompany spring.
If you are looking for vitamin C all-natural supplements, you may want to give Pure Radiance C by Synergy Company a try!
- Get outside
Take advantage of the sunshine and get outside! When you step outside, your body soaks in doses of vitamin D, which can help to boost your mood, ease IBS symptoms, and natural light may even help you sleep better.
How will you milk in the luscious spring weather this year? Will you try to spring clean your health habits? It’s the perfect time to do so!